Tenchu: Rise of Evil
by Kiriyama06
Summary: My first story on this site. This one began when I was watching the epic battle scenes of Lord of the Rings and thought How would that work out in Tenchu? This first chapter is my view of that. Reviews are greatly appreciated!
1. Tadao's Meeting

**Note: **My first chapter ever written for this site, so please try to review if you have the time, I would greatly appreciate it. As you will notice, this takes place after Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven. Those of you who have played Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory might notice the hint I put in. I hope you enjoy!

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**Chapter 1: Tadao's meeting**

It was a dark night above the land of Godha. The moon was completely hidden behind thick clouds, wind was hardly there. It was just another peaceful night, and the civilians of Lord Godha's province enjoyed it for as long as they could. Some of them heard rumors of eery things that happened a couple of months ago. Stories were going around, one more strange than the other. One person who had taken a walk in a nearby bamboo forest proclamed he had heard strange noises from deep within, like a deep floating sound. He also said he found the body of a ninja, which was completely red with horns on his head. No-one knew if these were true, but many people had the feeling that something disastrous had been prevented. By whom, no-one knew aswell. But the fact remained that people were causious, and so they were calm and happy for each moment of rest they were given.

But not the whole of the land was in deep sleep. In a small valley in the east, lay a small village. It was a normal village, just like any other, but tonight there was an unusual chaos in it. Guards were stationed everywhere, villagers had seen a couple of horses with riders on them pass through the village the previous day, completely escorted by at least 10 guards. The simple villagers didn't know what was going on, but they did know that whatever it was, it was something important. But they weren't spoken to, so they didn't ask either. Now, in the middle of the night, everyone in the village was asleep. Everyone except the guards of course. Two of them, who were stationed at the first house of the village, had a conversation.

"How long do you think the boss will stay in this god forsaken place?", said the first one.

"How should I know," said the second. "You know him, he doesn't say more than needed. Never."

"He could've given us some bit of info. I'm not planning on standing here doing nothing each night."

"What do you plan then? Go see him and tell him he can do his patrols himself? Your head will be laying on the floor before you even said it," said the guard.

"No!" said the other guard annoyingly. "Maybe I should be like Oda over there." He pointed at another guard, laying asleep at the main gate.

"I'm sure that's a great idea Hideo. If the boss sees him sleeping like that, he'll be staying here to guard the chickens of these peasants here."

"He could've hired guards who are used to patrolling at night, back where I come from..."

"You always used to work at daytime, I know," said the guard. "You told that 10 times already."

"Well," said Hideo, "I sure hope it won't take long, whatever he's doing, otherwise I'll really fall asleep. Maybe we should wake Oda over there, if the boss finds out..."

"No way, he deserves it. Falling asleep at the main gate, a whole army could stand there without someone seeing it. Just do your job and you'll see that's the best thing to do."

And so the guards continued their routine. They would've probably seen it if they went to Oda. Maybe they'd even saw it if the moon was shining. But they would never see it: a small dart, sticking out of Oda's neck.

"Great going, taking down a guard right in front of the entrance."

"You know, sometimes you're just too professional Rikimaru."

Right next to the entrance gate, there stood a huge tree. And in that tree, Rikimaru and Ayame were observing the village below.

"And besides, I had to," said Ayame. "If he would've come any closer, he would've seen us.

"Only if he looked up, and he wouldn't," replied Rikimaru. "They never do."

"Well, the other guards don't seem to notice. So what will we do now. A bit easy for two, no?" Ayame asked.

"Indeed," said Rikimaru. "I expected to have more opposition. First, we'll need to find out where Tadao is having his rendezvous."

"How?" Ayame asked.

"We ask of course," said Rikimaru. "How about that one over there?" He pointed at a guard who was behind one of the houses, out of sight from the rest.

The two ninja jumped from the tree to the fence and from the fence to a rooftop. It was easier not to get spotted with all the clouds. They landed just behind the guard. With a quick strike, Rikimaru held the guard firmly in his grasp.

"Pick a number between one and ten," Rikimaru said.

"Wh...what?" the guard muttered.

"A number between one and ten," said Rikimaru again while enhancing his grip.

"Aah, eh, three".

"Lucky guess, I would've killed you if you picked the wrong one. Now, do you want to play again or do you want to answer some questions?"

"I... I'll answer," said the guard.

Another guard turned around the corner of the house. Before he could see what was going on, Ayame pounced forward and broke his neck with a quick snap of her legs.

"You see what we can do?" Rikimaru said. "Now then, in which house is your master staying?"

"H...he's staying in the leftmost house of the village, the one that looks like a storage shack."

"And do you know who he's meeting with?"

"No," said the guard, "he told us nothing about his plans. He never does. He doesn't trust us."

"And lucky for him he doesn't," Rikimaru smiled. "Ok, I'll find that out myself, thanks for the help."

Rikimaru then broke the guard's neck too.

"He mustn't tell anyone, so I had too."

"You could've just asked instead of doing that stupid game first," Ayame said.

"I just felt like doing it. Otherwise, the job always seems so dull," Rikimaru replied.

After they hid the bodies, they decided what to do next.

"Who will check out the meeting? It's better that only one of us goes, when something goes wrong, they won't know there's two of us. One of us should wait in the tree."

"Let me do it," Ayame asked. "I could use some more action. You got the bandit mission a few weeks ago for your own."

And so Ayame went for the meeting point. From rooftop to rooftop, she had done this so many times already, all of these missions were beginning to look alike. She half expected to see Echigoya in the room when she peaked through a window in the building, but she instead saw two men sitting in the middle of the room. She could briefly see the figures of some guards in the room next to it. "They obviously don't want to be disturbed," she thought.

"And when are you planning to begin your scheme?" said the larger of the two men.

"Damn, I missed the part where they explain the plan," Ayame said silently.

"Not within the next few weeks, I first need to be sure my other supporters are really on my side. They are no good to me if they can't be trusted," said the smaller man.

"Well, let me know something as soon as possible."

"I will, we will deal with the important stuff later."

"It's been a great pleasure, Tadao," said the large man.

"Don't act like a slime ball," said Tadao. "I know you're doing this for your own favour."

"Is there something wrong with that?"

"No, but I know just as well as you do that a deal doesn't mean life-long friendship. If it weren't for our hate against Godha, I probably would never wanted to meet someone like you."

The large man smiled, revealing a mouth with a few teeth missing.

"I know, I know," said the man. "Unfortunately, many of my girls think the same. But then again, of what importance is a woman's word eh?"

Tadao grinned.

"Meeting together with the land's biggest pimp. I've sunk to a new low. It's good for you I need the money."

"And as long as I get my reward, you can count on it."

"Then I guess our meeting is over," said Tadao. "I'll let you know something about our next arrangement. Should I send my message to the same place?"

"Yes, my normal address," said the man.

The two men stood up and were about to leave the room.

"Well, I guess that's something," Ayame thought. She headed back to the tree were Rikimaru was waiting. While travelling back to Godha Castle, she told him everything.

"So Tadao needs funds from various persons?" Rikimaru asked. "That'll be interesting to see for what exactly."

"Who is this Tadao anyway?" Ayame asked.

"Long story, I'll tell you when we get back, night is almost over." They travelled for the next few hours before taking a short brake. Then they travelled again for the whole morning until at midday, they stood on top of a hill and saw the Castle of Godha in front of them, rising above the city in the glow of the sun.


	2. Deciding What To Do

**Note: **This is the second chapter of my story. Gives a bit of background about Lord Tadao and presents some new characters. I hope you like it, and for those who would like to see some action, I'm afraid it's gonna take a while, chapter 6 or so. I first want to get the characters and story all written down. Enjoy!

**Chapter 2: Deciding What To Do**

The two Azuma ninja arrived at the gates of Godha castle exactly at noon. They immediately went to see Lord Godha to share the info they gathered. The two Azuma ninja walked through the corridors to Godha's room, both of them curious of what they would hear from their master. Rikimaru looked around. I was only a couple of months since he snuck inside this very castle, a few days after he had returned from his one-year absence. He thought about Mei-oh. Was the threat really over now? He was convinced it wasn't. But then again, he would do anything he could to stop Mei-oh should it be necessary again. While the two ninja passed a long balcony, Rikimaru looked down. A part of Godha's troops where marching in the courtyard below. It was one of those warm summer days that didn't had an enjoyable warmth, but a warmth that made you search for a place to hide from the sun. Rikimaru imagined how the soldiers would feel in that heat. He suddenly felt grateful he had to work mostly at night. He listened to the footsteps of the soldiers below and was beginning to feel a little dazed by the warmth. He listened to the footsteps. "Left right left right." His head felt light. "Damn heat", he thought. "I hope I don't faint." The sound of the soldiers continued. "Left right left right left right. Stop them!" Rikimaru looked outside. The soldiers were marching like before. He wasn't sure he heard that last part. He was feeling pretty close to fainting now. It seemed like the sound of the footsteps rose, like there were 10 times as many soldiers in the courtyard. He closed his eyes to get a grip of himself, when suddenly, an image flashed before his eyes. It was over in a second, but it was enough to make Ayame notice the sudden twist of his head.

"Everything ok?"

"Yeah… Yeah, I'm fine. Just had some trouble with the heat", Rikimaru replied.

Ayame frowned. "Well, we're almost there. Try to rest when we get back."

Rikimaru tried to remember what he saw exactly, but because it went so fast and the confusion afterwards, he couldn't. He kept trying, but gave up when they arrived at Godha's room, where they were stopped by a guard.

"I'm sorry, you'll have to wait for a few minutes. Lord Godha is having a conversation with a very important person."

"Ok, we'll wait", Rikimaru said.

Rikimaru and Ayame went to the room next to it and sat down.

"I thought we were the very important persons", Ayame grumped.

"Don't start", Rikimaru replied.

"Well, maybe you can tell me the story of Tadao, we have time now."

"Ok, I will."

Rikimaru stretched his back and took a deep breath. He hated telling long stories.

"You remember Lord Toda, right?"

"Yes", Ayame said.

"I'm sure you remember the time when Toda had plans to invade Lord Godha's province. He had set up a massive army camp at the border of this land. Fortunately, Toda was killed before his invasion could begin. And that was good, after Lord Godha's uncle's betrayal, I think another attack by Toda would have been fatal. Of course, Toda wasn't alone in his command over the army. He had several generals who obeyed him and controlled different parts of the army instead of Toda. But if it came down to the big decisions, Toda was always the one who made them. And logically, after Toda's death, his army was uncontrollable. One general didn't know what other was doing and vice versa. Should Toda have lived, he would've said something like 'first group attack, then the second'. But since Toda was dead, that was impossible. So without a leader, the generals decided to cancel the attack. Most of them never thought of invading this land after that. Some minded their own business, some were killed in another battle. And it seemed the threat of Toda was gone."

"Interesting story", Ayame yawned. "But what has that got to do with Tadao."

"A lot", Rikimaru said. "You see, Tadao was also one of Toda's generals. He is one of the few, if not the only one, who still has a grudge against Godha. We know this for a long time, but since we had no proof of any mischief he might have been up to, we couldn't do anything. After all, it's not because you don't like your neighbour that you kill him. But recently, Godha heard a report of someone, I don't know who, that Tadao was up to something. He planned a meeting with the guy you saw, and that's why we had to go there, to find out something more. Understand now?"

"Yeah, I guess. Well, it seems clear then."

"What?", Rikimaru asked.

"He goes around collecting funds to rebuild an army."

"Yeah, I thought that too. But even if it's correct, that still doesn't get us anything further. Where is he building it? Who are the people who give him money? How can we be sure he's doing that? That's why I hope that Lord Godha comes up with a good strategy."

They heard the sound of a sliding door opening, and a few seconds later, they saw a man pass by. He had dark, short hair and was dressed as a farmer. He gave the two ninja a slight look, then continued his exit.

"Someone like that is more important than us? Good to know", Ayame said sarcastically.

"You can go to Lord Godha now", the guard told them.

Rikimaru and Ayame stood up and followed the guard. They heard a scream behind them, and as they both turned around, they saw a small figure, completely dressed in black, standing behind them with a wooden sword. It was princess Kiku.

"Awww, you weren't supposed to notice. I wanted to stealth kill you."

Rikimaru and Ayame both laughed.

"First rule in the book Kiku", Rikimaru said. "Never make any noise."

"What book?", Kiku asked.

"The unwritten book of the ninja", Rikimaru replied. "You know what? I'll teach you some techniques when we're finished with Lord Godha. But you'll have to wait a bit now, we have a very important meeting."

"Okay", Kiku said. She looked at Ayame. "I missed you Ayame."

Ayame smiled.

"I missed you too", she said. "We'll catch up on our lost time later, ok?"

"Ok, bye then", Kiku said, and she continued practicing shoulder rolls on the tatami.

"I think she wants to be a ninja", Godha said as he appeared behind them.

"Don't worry", Ayame replied. "One training with Rikimaru and the fun wears off."

Godha smiled. He led them into his room, after which the guard closed the sliding door.

"So", Godha said. "What have you got for me?"

Ayame told him everything she had seen the previous night.

"Ok, so Tadao wants funds, and we got one person who gives it to him. But I figure there are more", Godha thought. "At least I know something more. The new info Takeshi gave me wasn't what I expected."

"Who's Takeshi?", Ayame asked.

"He works as a spy. Not like you two. He's not the sneaking type. He works as one of Tadao's servants. I got two spies working under Tadao. One is, like I said, Takeshi, who you might have seen already."

Rikimaru and Ayame remembered the strange looking peasant passing them earlier on.

"He changes clothes once in a while to avoid people recognizing him here. The other one is his sister, Noriko. She works as one of Tadao's 'pleasure' girls. Dancing, serving and all that stuff. They both give me info on Tadao. They sneak out at night, then go back unnoticed. But the info I'm getting is scarce. Tadao almost never tells his people what he's up to. But sometimes, the information can be useful. For example, they were the ones who told me where Tadao was holding the meeting I sent you to."

Godha got up and started walking across the room.

"But for our next step, we need to know who the people are that give Tadao money. It's not a priority to know what he's up to, without money he can't do it, whatever it is. When we know the names and locations of those who help him, the only thing we have to do is to neutralize them. But of course, getting that info will be the real problem. Unfortunately, I don't know the person Ayame talked about. I'm guessing there is only one option."

"And that would be...", Rikimaru asked.

"We'll have to wait until we know the next date and place of his location, then neutralize the person he's meeting with that very night."

"But wouldn't it be simpler to just kill Tadao?", Ayame asked.

"No", Godha replied. "I know now that Tadao is holding his meetings on my territory. That's a smart move. If word gets out he's been killed on my territory, people will think I gave instructions to do so. And that's not something you want to have as lord of a province. Not until we have evidence…"

Ayame raised her face and was about to say something.

"Evidence which we can prove", Godha continued.

Ayame lowered her head again.

"While when we kill some rich man no-one knows about, there will be no public annoyance. So the best thing you two can do is to get some sleep and wait until I get useful info from my two spies. You can go now."

"Very well, my Lord", Rikimaru said.

They walked out of the room and headed downstairs.

"I hope we'll get some news soon", Ayame said.

"Relax", said Rikimaru. "Try to get some rest. Tonight we'll go back to the village and stay there until we get word from Lord Godha."

They came across Kiku at the courtyard.

"Hey Riki, wanna teach me some stuff now?", she asked while putting up her most sweet looking face.

"Ok, let's go", Rikimaru said. "Now we'll see if my trainings are as hard as you said."

Ayame smiled. They thought Kiku the most basic of ninja fighting for the whole afternoon. She had a few minor accidents, like tripping her foot while trying to land silently, but her enthusiasm made her forget about it. At 6 o'clock in the evening, Godha called Kiku inside. She said goodbye to Rikimaru and Ayame, then left. The two ninja then made their way out of the city, through the forest and mountain path until they reached their village. It was almost midnight when they did.

"I'm tired as hell", Ayame said. "I'm gonna go to bed, and don't you dare wake me."

"I won't", Rikimaru responded. "Well, goodnight then."

Ayame went to her hut, changed and fell to sleep almost immediately. Rikimaru however, didn't. The meeting with Lord Godha and the training with Kiku had made him forget about his incident in the castle, but now he remembered it again. He thought about it. Was it something important that happened or did it was just the effects of being dazed by the sun? Rikimaru decided to forget the whole thing. He thought of Kiku instead. It was quite funny seeing her train like a real ninja. He imagined what she would look like when she was in a ninja outfit, when he suddenly remembered what he had seen during the time he was dazed. He had seen the courtyard of Godha Castle. But not his normal view from the balcony. He had seen it from the sky. He had seen the ground coming closer, until the image stopped right before he would've hit the ground.


	3. Problems With The Staff

**Note: **Chapter 3 is here. This chapter isn't about Rikimaru or Ayame, but instead gives a bit more insight on Takeshi, Noriko and Tadao. Hope you guys like it.

**Chapter 3: Problems with the staff**

Around the same time when Rikimaru and Ayame arrived at the ninja village, Takeshi was about halfway in his journey back to Tadao's headquarters. These headquarters were nothing more than a big mansion a few miles away from a small city, just before the boarder of Godha's realm. It usually took him a few days to travel from this mansion to Godha's castle and back, and he tried to make his disappearances look as unnoticeable as possible. Tadao had quite a few employees under his command, so he didn't notice when one of them was away for a few days. He also took turns with Noriko to inform Godha. While Noriko worked as a personal geisha of Tadao, Takeshi worked in the kitchen. He was a splendid cook, and usually he brought a few goods with him on his return to fool the other servants. Even though they weren't professionally trained as a ninja, both Takeshi and Noriko mastered quite a few fighting skills for should the occasion arise. After another day of travel, he reached Tadao's setup at night. As usual, guards were stationed at each entrance. They didn't look surprised when Takeshi showed up, they were getting used to it by now.

"There's that ol' Takeshi again", one of the guards said. "Brought back anything nice?"

"Sure", Takeshi replied. He reached in his small backpack and pulled out a few herbs. "I've tried them out before I bought them. Absolutely delicious. It's gonna taste really nice with those chickens."

"I'm sure it's boss-only stuff", the guard said while starting to drool.

"I'm afraid so", Takeshi said. "Well, I'm gonna go and put these in a dry spot. Have a nice night!"

The guard produced a small snort, then continued to lean on his spear while looking at the darkness. Takeshi entered the door to the kitchen. There weren't many servants around, Tadao didn't plan anything special for tonight so everything was done early. Takeshi wondered if Noriko was still up. Maybe she had discovered something more about Tadao's plans. Not very likely, but it was possible. He laid the herbs in a small basement under the kitchen and then left. For those new to this mansion, it was something like a maze. Normally, all mansions of other lords stood separated from the buildings were the staff worked and lived. But in this case, Tadao's private quarters were directly connected to the servants living quarters. To guarantee safety, there were not only guards on the outside but also in the inside of the building. Takeshi walked through some corridors until he passed the room were Tadao's personal geisha lived. Tadao loved female company, but on the other hand, he never took advantage of it. The geisha under his service had the best living circumstances of the whole staff and they were never treated indecently. No matter what plans he had set up, they couldn't accuse him of not being a gentleman. Takeshi opened the sliding door a few centimetres. He saw light, meaning the ladies were still up. He said through the little opening:

"Is Noriko there?"

He waited for a few seconds when the sliding door was opened fully by another geisha.

"Why do you speak through this little crack?", she asked.

"I'm sorry", he said. "I thought maybe you were... changing or something."

The geisha smiled.

"We weren't. But it was nice of you to consider it. And to answer your question: yes, Noriko is here. Do you want me to call her?"

"If it's possible, yes."

"Hang on", she said and disappeared.

Takeshi sat down on a bench in the corridor. Although he was a spy against Tadao, he still loved to be here. The building was marvellously made, with lots of little ornaments and different kinds of masks, weapons and plants hanging on the walls. Yes, he would even dare say it looked more classy than Godha's castle. After a few minutes, Noriko came through the sliding door. She was fairly tall, with red hair like a coloured autumn leaf. She still had her make-up on, face completely white with black eyes.

"Hi", she began. "Shall we go for a walk outside, a bit safer for conversations."

"Yeah ok," Takeshi replied.

They both went outside and sat down next to a cherry tree.

"So, what's the news?" Noriko asked.

"I told Lord Godha everything I found out, which is next to nothing really. He said our first priority is to find out who Tadao is having arrangements with. And that isn't going to be easy."

"I'll see what I can do next time I get close to him", Noriko said. "Do you mind if I go back now, sorry but I wouldn't want to arouse suspicion with the other girls."

Takeshi smiled. "Not at all."

Noriko turned around and went back to the mansion. Takeshi thought about the two ninja he had seen in Godha castle. He supposed they were the two Azuma ninja Godha was always talking about. The ones that did all the "dirty work", as he and Noriko liked to call it. Ninja life wasn't something for him. He couldn't stand the thought of slitting someone's throat. Soon after, Takeshi went back to the house too. But before he got through the door, he saw Noriko standing with the two guards at the entrance. He didn't know what was going on, but he saw that Noriko didn't like it. He approached to see what was happening. One of the guards, who seemed to have had quite a bit of sake, was talking to her.

"Come on, just a little peck on the cheek for the brave gaurd... guard," he hicked. The other guard next to him looked amused.

"No thanks," Noriko said. "Just let me through please."

"I always... always wondered why we don't get such fine looking gals like that to entertain us. Didn't you?"

The other guard kept smiling.

"My god, you l-look mighty f-fine," the drunken guard said while pulling Noriko closely to him. This was the signal for Takeshi to start taking action.

"I think you better leaver her," he said while looking at the guard as though he had just killed her. The guard looked at him with a look of neglect, like he was some sort of sick dog.

"Don't you tell me what to do. I'm a private guard of Lord Todoa, you're a cook. I wield a spear, the biggest thing you have wielded is a pocket knife to cut herbs." He started laughing loudly.

"You won't be a private guard anymore when he sees you here drunk like that, so shut up."

Takeshi was about to help Noriko through the door, when the guard made Takeshi trip with his foot. He lost his balance and bumped into Noriko who fell to the ground.

"My bad," the guard laughed. Before he could do anything, Takeshi's fist hit him hard in the face. Dazed, the guard fell on the ground.

"Hey, stop that!" The other guard finally stopped smirking and pulled Takeshi back. "That's it. Bring the geisha inside, then I'll bring you two to Tadao."

Takeshi brought Noriko inside.

"Sorry about that," she said.

"It's nothing, you know how I have a bad temper quickly. Wish me luck with Tadao," he said and then went to Tadao's room.

The first guard, who he had punched in the face, was already inside. Takeshi was told to wait. After a few minutes, the guard came outside again, looking surprisingly sobered up. Takeshi went inside.

Tadao was sitting on the ground looking through some papers. The cook went up to him and stopped right before him. Tadao looked up.

"Well, well, if it isn't mister Tough Guy."

Takeshi didn't say anything.

"I don't plan to waste much time on this, I'll tell you the same thing I said to Manato, except for the drinking part. No more fighting, if there's something that bothers you, come to me. And you'll apologize to Manato tomorrow, he will do the same thing to you. Agreed?"

"Yes," Takeshi said.

"Good, you can go now. Oh and by the way, the chicken was excellent. Which reminds me, I'm having an appointment next week on Friday here, so make sure you've good enough supplies for an evening supper."

Takeshi's head shot forward.

"Very well sir… Might I ask who is coming?" He almost knew for certain that this wouldn't help, but you may never know. Tadao looked up to him.

"I don't think that's of any importance for preparing a diner, unless you want to make a salad bar in the shape of his name."

"You're right sir, I shouldn't have asked."

Tadao smiled.

"A general named Tadama. Don't ask me why I've invited a general here. I just hope he's politer than the last guest. Now go, I still have stuff to do."

Takeshi leaved Tadao's compartment and went to his own. He did it. At least one name is better than none. He even got the exact place and time. "Thank you, Lord Tadao", Takeshi whispered and smiled. The smile disappeared as he started thinking. After a few minutes, he decided he would tell Noriko about it the next day and send her to Godha.


	4. A Plan

**Chapter 4: A plan**

Sun rose above the hilltops of the forest nearby Tadao's mansion. It was a cool spring morning, and the guards who just had night duties went inside to catch up on some sleep. Takeshi just finished making breakfast and now brought it to Tadao. Tadao was already fully clothed.

"Here is your breakfast, lord", Takeshi said.

"Thank you. You can put it there", Tadao pointed.

Takeshi put the food in the corner of the room in front of the open window, Tadao's favorite dining spot. He waited for a bit, then turned around and began to speak.

"Noriko won't be here for a couple of days, my lord. She got a message from her mother who isn't feeling very well. Noriko left to go and see how she is doing. She asked me to inform you about this since she got it last evening and didn't wanted to disturb you."

"That's sweet of her. I hope she will be back for the rendez-vous next week."

"Yes I think that won't be a problem. Well, I'll leave now. Have a nice meal, my lord."

Takeshi went back and closed the sliding door. He sighed. For a minute he had been afraid Tadao would've suspected something. But it went fairly well. He even thought Tadao was a bit naive. But that could only work in Godha's advantage. Takeshi guessed Noriko would be back in a few days and then they would probably just have to wait until next week. He wondered if he would see some action. Smiling, Takeshi went back to the kitchen.

At the time Takeshi put down Tadao's meal, Noriko was taking a break near a small river, grateful she had good condition. She had told herself to be back at the mansion in 4-5 days maximum. That meant she had to run a lot. She estimated it would be a few more hours until she could cross the border to Godha's realm. _Visiting my sick mum_, she thought, while eating some of Takeshi's chicken. While she was looking down into the water, something Noriko always liked to do, she thought about her career as a spy. Noriko and Takeshi were both hired by Lord Godha a few months ago. Godha was under the impression that he needed some spies who could get as close as possible to the enemy without the fear of getting spotted. Some sort of non-violent spy, unlike the Azuma ninja. By coincidence, Noriko was already in service with Tadao back then. Soon after the suspision concerning Tadao arrose, Takeshi was sent to offer his services as a cook so Godha had 2 spies on it. That was their very first mission, and the one they were still working on now. While sitting, Noriko wondered what would become of her later. Would she continue the spy career, or continue with being a geisha? They were both jobs she liked. _We'll just had to wait and see_, she thought as she got up on her feet again, took a deep breath and began running towards Godha castle.

She reached it when the sun began to set that same day. Being tired, she just strolled through the city to the gates of the castle. This was about the biggest city she knew, and if she had the time, she always stayed a bit longer to look around. The city was situated at the base of Godha castle. The centre of the city was a big, bustling chaos of people and buildings. It was linked to the sea port a few miles to the east by means of a river, which was big enough to guarantee the smaller boats could dock in the city itself. One could see the sea from the top of the bigger buildings, including Godha castle. Around the city lay various smaller settlements with farms. This combination of farmland and easy access to the sea made it one of the wealthiest cities in this region of Japan. The only drawback of this was perhaps that the city lacked any natural defences, unless the enemy had no fleet which ruled out the possibility of an attack from the east. But there were no mountains near it and the land was generally 'easy for the feet' as some called it. But the city had been rarely ever attacked, and the people living in it were grateful they lived there. Noriko finally entered through the gates of the castle, told the guard what she wanted and was let in. And so began the great climb, as Godha's was mostly to be found near the top. But she was pleasantly surprised as she heard his voice behind her.

Lord Godha was walking in the gardens between the castle and the castle wall. Behind him, Kiku was playing with a wooden sword.

"Bloody ninja", Godha laughed. "I think she really wants to be one, you know. I mean, she _really _wants to."

"I'm sure it's just for now. It's good that she amuses her", Noriko responded.

"Yes, I guess you're right." Godha didn't sound convinced, and he looked worried towards Kiku. He turned to Noriko again.

"So, what news have you got?"

"I got the name of one of his partners and also the time of their meeting, which is next week on Friday. His name is Tadama, he's a general."

"A general? Is there anything else?"

"No, I'm afraid not, that's it."

"Ok", Godha concluded. "Great work both of you. I'll call for Rikimaru and Ayame to deal with this. I guess you won't be staying now?"

"No, I must be going, it's better not to risk anything."

"No problem. Well, safe trip then. Give my regards to Takeshi. And you can probably expect Rikimaru and Ayame next week. I don't know how or at what time yet, but try to act as normal as possible. If you should get confronted with any of them, just try to grab them or something to not arouse suspision. They'll recognize you."

"Ok, I'll let Takeshi now. Well, I'm going now. Have a nice night, my lord."

"A nice night, Noriko."

With this, Noriko left again as Godha looked at her. When she disappeared out of sight, he immediately sent a messenger to the Azuma ninja.

Rikimaru and Ayame arrived at Godha castle the next day. They were greeted by Counsel Sekiya, Lord Godha's advisor who they hadn't seen in some time.

"Rikimaru and Ayame! Long time no see. Come on, Lord Godha is expecting you."

They entered the castle. Unlike Noriko, the 2 ninja did have to go to the top of the castle. But trained as they were, that wasn't a problem. While walking, they talked with Sekiya about random stuff, including the fall Rikimaru made during his last training, as he had slipped from the roof of one of the buildings in their village. He had landed in a puddle of mud, which Ayame amusingly told as Rikimaru frowned behind them. When they reached Godha's room, Sekiya went in. Seconds later, he came for the 2 ninja. Godha was sitting in the middle of the room in his green clothes, the symbol of Godha castle printed on them. Two guards with the same green clothes, only darker, were standing at both ends of the room. When Godha had sent them out, he told Rikimaru and Ayame everything Noriko had told him.

"I think it's fairly obvious", he said. "You will have to infiltrate Tadao's domain next week. It's pretty clear now that he's up to no good, so you'll have to spy on the conversation between him and Tadama and you also have my authority to kill both of them."

Rikimaru and Ayame looked at each other. They were both expecting that Tadama would have to be eliminated, but they didn't expect the order of killing Tadao aswell.

"I will not take a single chance. You will wait to hear what they have to say, and if it's no good, kill them."

"What if the conversation still doesn't give any evidence?" Rikimaru asked.

"That doesn't matter", Godha answered. "We already know he's against me, and if he now invites a general that's more than fishy."

"Very well, my lord", Rikimaru said.

"How long will it take you to get ready?"

"No more than 4 days of preparation. Along with the journey to Tadao's mansion that will be just enough."

"Very well", Godha concluded. "You shall leave now. I hope for a good mission. Report back when you're done. Good luck."

"My lord."

The 2 ninja then left the room.

"You were awfully quiet", Rikimaru said to Ayame. Ayame looked at him.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, normally you're a bit more... talkative."

"Normally, yes. Not always," Ayame said shortly. "Besides, I had the impression that lord Godha was different."

"Yes, I felt that too. More formal, more straightforward. It'll probably be the pressure. Once our mission is done he'll feel a lot better."

In the corridor, they came across Kiku. She was wearing a black scarf around her mouth. Waving at the Azuma ninja, she came running to them.

"Hi Riki and Aya! What are you doing here?"

"New mission Kiku", Ayame said. "Wow, that's a cool carf. Where did you get it from?"

"Made it myself", Kiku answered proudly.

"That's very nice."

"I know. I feel just like a real ninja now."

She started kicking through the air. Rikimaru and Ayame frowned at each other.

"Well, we're off. We've got no time to lose. Bye Kiku!

"Bye!"

"I'm beginning to think it's more than just a game for Kiku", Rikimaru said as they were descending the last few stairs.

"Yeah, I guess those trainings you gave her weren't as hard as I thought."

"You should talk a bit to her when we get back from the mission, Ayame. Explain to her what being a ninja is all about."

"Ok, I will", Ayame said. "But it's not bad if she learned a bit of self-defense. Maybe she won't be kidnapped so often anymore."

"True, true", Rikimaru smiled. "But let's get going now."

The 2 ninja left Godha castle and the city and headed through the forest in the west, which would eventually take them along a path in the mountains where their village lay.


	5. Memories

**Note: **After a small delay, I can present to you chapter 5. This was planned for about a month ago, but I didn't get to finishing it until now. This chapter is the shortest one for now, and is basically justto link chapter 4 and 6. I'll try to finish chapter 6 a bit sooner now. It will also contain some action after the actionless 4 chapters before it. Thanks to Kill GoGo Yubari forthe nice yet informative review.He/she pointed to something someone else did aswell, which is the fact that they would like to see some more detailed descriptions concerning character and environment looks etc. I'll try to work on that, but I never liked the idea of describing the characters too much. I like it when people can come up with their own idea of a character. But I'll see what I can do. Meanwhile, this note is becoming the size of a whole chapter, so time to close this down and start. R&R please, thanks!

**Chapter 5: Memories**

The Azuma ninja village lay in a small valley with mountains at all sides. It was very difficult to reach except for a path that led from the grassy plains outside the city. It was very easy to get lost in the forest leading to the village, but that was also the reason the village was fairly unknown and well-protected. Rikimaru and Ayame got back a few days after leaving Godha castle. Since they were the only clan members left, they had the entire village for their own. Nevertheless, they tried to make as much use out of the many buildings as possible. They made their own food, their own weapons and repaired anything that needed to be prepaired in order to preserve the village as much as possible. The two had thought about reforming the clan to its former glory, but they didn't really know where to begin. "Let time sort it out", was Rikimaru's usual response.

Since they arrived there in the morning, Rikimaru thought it was best to immediately begin preparing. They had a house were they stored all their items, so after taking some rest from the return journey, they went inside. The house only contained one thing, a giant rack covering the entire width of the house. On this rack were all the items they would ever need, carefully arranged. Shuriken, daggers, poison, costumes etc. As usual, Rikimaru led the briefing.

"Good", he commenced. "Let's see now. This probably won't be easy, so I suggest we take enough with us. What do you think we need?"

"The basic things, shuriken and maybe some darts", was Ayame's reply.

"I concur. There aren't many shuriken left, about five."

"That's enough", Ayame said.

Rikimaru smiled. It was usually him who decided these things.

"Very well then, five it is."

He turned around and went back outside. He stopped at the front of the house and looked at the horizon.

"There's rain coming up. If it rains long enough, that might be an advantage."

Indeed, the sky above the far away mountains was darkly clouded.

"I suggest we start the training tomorrow. We got a few days left until we go to Tadao."

The two ninja went back to their seperate houses since it was getting dark outside. Night fell, all was quiet, but Rikimaru didn't sleep well. He had a dream, one that he forgot from the moment he woke up.

The training Rikimaru had talked about was something they always did before a mission. It always lasted two days. The first day was for body training. Not that they didn't train otherwise, but now they focused on exercises that would come in handy on this mission. Grappling roofs for example. Both Rikimaru and Ayame had little competitions to get on top of a roof as quickly as possible. This was to stimulate the training and also just for the fun of it. Ayame usually was the better one, mostly topping it of with a comment to Rikimaru to rub it in some more. The second day was for meditating. For this, they both had their own place. Rikimaru liked to meditate on the roof of his house. Ayame did this some way into the bamboo forest right next to the village.

Rikimaru woke up the next day with a splitting headache. When meditating the previous day, he suddenly felt a sharp pain at the sides of his forehead. The pain had felt like someone putting needles in his head, but was over quickly. After that, he had a big headache which still wasn't over the next morning. He went outside to catch some air and because he needed to talk to Ayame anyway. They were to leave the next day and he had to inform her about this. When he knocked at her door, no answer came. After checking inside, he saw Ayame was nowhere to be seen. Rikimaru looked around at the village with an annoyed face. First his headache, now Ayame missing. He started looking for her but still hadn't found her by the time it was noon, at which point he started to worry himself. _It's unlikely something happened, but you can never know_, he though. When he stood on one of the watch towers, Rikimaru finally saw her emerging from between the trees. He went to her to see what happened.

"Nothing", Ayame said. "I was up early and I thought I'd go out for a walk. I sat in the forest and thought about some things."

"Thought?", Rikimaru asked. "What do you mean?"

"This whole history with Tadao made me think back to the time of Kagami. The time of Tatsumaru..."

"Oh, I see." Rikimaru was relieved it was about that, but he also wondered why she thought of that now. The time were she griefed for Tatsumaru was long gone, and even if that topic was brought up, it never seemed to upset her like it had now. She wasn't looking all that happy. _Both of us not feeling well, what is this, a new disease?_

"It's nothing really", she continued. "I was down since this morning but I'm feeling a bit better now. Better than you I think."

"Yeah, I have a headache", Rikimaru said.

"Oh, well I come with me, I've got some herbs that help."

"Good, thanks," Rikimaru smiled.

After drinking some tea made from those special herbs, Rikimaru saw the chance of discussing the mission.

"I think we can leave tomorrow", he said. "Then we will get there on time."

"Yes, do you know the way?" Ayame asked.

"Yes I do, it shouldn't take that long to get there if we keep moving. And if we have any luck, that rain will come by just in time."

"Anything else."

"Nothing I can think of now, just remember to stay away from Noriko and Takeshi."

Ayame smiled. "I will be very careful. How's your headache?"

"I think it's starting to fade. Thanks, I guess that tea really helped. What kind of tea is it?"

"I don't know the exact name of the herb, I got it from a woman in Lord Godha's city."

Rikimaru finished his tea and went back home. They were going to leave at night, so he decided to get some sleep now. A few hours later, he was awake again, hanging his grappling hook at his belt.


	6. To Disrupt A Plan

**Note:** Welcome to another exciting chapter of my story. This is chapter 6, To Disrupt A Plan. This one finally has some action in it and less talking. Way, way less talking. Anyway, from now on the story will be running at full speed since the major events will be taking place from now. The previous chapters were more of a build-up. This is my first real action part except for the little part in my first chapter. I tried to do it as best as I could but if anyone sees some flaws be sure to tell them. One more note: when a sentence is in _italic_, it means that's what a character is thinking. That way I don't have to type ", thought Rikimaru" all the time. Enjoy!

**Chapter 6: To Disrupt A Plan**

Rikimaru and Ayame saw a first glimpse of Tadao's mansion when the sun was almost completely gone that Friday evening. Figuring it would be best to wait until complete dark, they rested at the edge of the forest for a while. Rikimaru tried to see some activity at the complex, but they were too far away to make out anything interesting, even for his trained eyes. During missions they mostly didn't say anything, so they just sat there looking through the stuff they brought with them. Some shuriken, nothing else. When all was covered in darkness, they began to sneak up on the mansion. The two ninja went to a part of the wall that wasn't guarded and climbed on top of it. Sitting there, they overlooked the situation. Tadao's headquarters were at the other side of the perimeter, but they could easily access it by means of the other buildings which were linked with an enclosed walkway. Guard activity was medium. Ayame gave every situation involving guards a score. Few or well spread out guards was 'easy', fairly lot of guards was 'medium', and 'hard' was something they mostly wouldn't do when they were alone. There were quite a few guards patrolling on the ground, but both ninja thought they could avoid them by using the roof. All guards carried a spear, not bows or any other long-range weapons. Rikimaru and Ayame jumped from the wall to the roof only a few meters away. When they were there, Rikimaru turned around.

"It would probably be best if only one of us goes inside, like the last time."

"Whatever you say."

"That way, they won't know there's two of us if one of us gets spotted. Now, since it was your turn last time..."

Ayame gave him that disappointed look, but he knew that was something she did everytime she wasn't allowed to join in on the action, and he had learned to ignore it.

"Ok, fine. Go ahead", she said.

"Thanks", Rikimaru responded and he was on his way.

Thanks to the convenient layout of the place he could use the roof all the way to Tadao's mansion. Once he was on the roof there, he looked for a way to get in. He saw a window which he could enter by swinging in from the roof. So after checking there weren't any guards down below, he clinged his grappling hook on the edge of the roof, grabbed it with his hands and turned around so he was headfirst towards the ground. He very slightly slid down until he could see the enterior of the room. No guards. He turned around again, then swung his legs inside. Once he was in, he rolled up his grappling hook again. Ayame, seeing all this, smiled. Now that he was inside, he got the time to view his new environment.

It wasn't a room he was in, it was a corridor leading to the right and left of him. To the left, there was a closed sliding door, to the right, the corridor made a turn to the left. He had absolutely no idea which way to go, but he figured he needed to find the dining room. That room was probably behind closed doors, so he thought of using the sliding doors to the left. But then he figured Tadao's room would be well guarded, so he went to the right. Peeking behind the turn, he could see a straight corridor with another sliding door, only this one was open. There was a room behind it, but he could see no movement there. _Going pretty well so far, looks like this one is going to get an 'easy' score from Ayame._ He turned around the corner and began moving towards the door. He ducked when he passed another window. After he passed it, he looked back to see if anyone had followed him, then he continued towards the room. He was about halfway through the corridor when he saw a guard going across the room he was going to. Rikimaru immediately stopped. There he was, in the middle of the corridor with no place to hide. Luckily, the guard didn't turn to watch the corridor he was in, and when he had passed, Rikimaru ran as fast yet as silently as possible until he reached the sliding door and hid behind it. He turned his head around the door slightly to get a full view of the room. The room was covered with a beautiful carpet, and a closet full of clothing. There was another room connected to it, and he saw that's were the guard had gone. In that room, they stored all their weaponry. He realised this was the room where the guards kept their clothes and weapons. And he also realised this room was a dead end, so he had to get back to the corridor again. After he was sure the guard wouldn't return too soon, he turned around and raced across the corridor again until he was at the other door he ignored at the beginning. He slid the door open for a bit, but didn't see anybody so he went through. In front of him, the corridor continued going straight forward with stairs going down in the middle of it. He began to wonder if he would get through this maze before the sun came up again. _Sorry, but we'll have to try it again sometime, because you see my Lord, I couldn't find the right door. _He took the stairs and followed the corridor. In the middle of the hallway, he entered a room that had the same carpet he had seen before, and also a sliding door. The corridor crossed the room and continued straight ahead. Rikimaru thought he could hear voices at the other side of the door. There were no guards in front of it, and he held his ear to the door to see if he could make anything out of the conversation. But he couldn't, the door was either too thick or the people inside were talking too quietly. Without making a sound, he slid the door open for about half an inch.

"... will you need?"

"Depends on when you're starting the whole thing." He heard the voices of two men, one which was far deeper than the other one. He looked through the crack and saw a man sitting in black clothing. He didn't look much like a general so he supposed this was Tadao. He had finally found them and he didn't even had to cut a throat to do it. They were sitting in a room full of fancy decorations, and by the looks of it, they had just finished eating.

"I don't want to wait too long", said Tadao. "The longer we wait, the more of a chance we have something happens and he discovers it. How about another three months?"

"Three months... I'll see what I can do. But still, three months isn't very long."

"I know, but like I said, I don't want to wait too long. What about the costs?"

"Well, let me put it this way, if you can afford a place like this, you can afford the price I give you."

Rikimaru couldn't see the other one, who probably was general Tadama. He opened the crack some more, but it was a fairly long table they were sitting at, he still couldn't see the other end of it and he didn't want to take the risk of opening the door too much. He decided what he should do. Lord Godha had instructed them to kill both of them if possible, but he didn't know how armed Tadama was. He didn't want to burst in just to have his stomach ripped open by a gun. He decided he would wait, get some more information and see how things worked out. He slid the door open some more, and now he could see a man's hands resting on the table side. _Almost there._

"Mind you, I have all the men I need at the moment, but not all the equipment. But it's for a good cause, and after this diner I'll make sure I get it on time", the general said.

"Glad you liked it, our chef is a wonder in the kitchen. I have him under my service some time now, and... are you alright?"

Rikimaru looked at Tadao. He watched Tadama with a frowned face. _What happened? Poisoned? Did someone else already do it for me?_ Rikimaru looked at the other side of the table, where he didn't see Tadama's hand anymore. He was just about to figure out that he might have been discovered, when a foot came through the bamboo door, hitting Rikimaru right in the face. For a moment, everything was black, and when he got his eyesight back, he had just enough time to see a man, almost two meters tall with plate armour all around, swinging a giant samurai sword at him. Rikimaru rolled away and the sword missed him, but he knew he would've been dead if his eyesight had returned one second later. He stood up and now he had a better view of Tadama. He was massive, about 40 years old with a beard. Not a long beard, but a beard you would expect from a drunk who had just woken from a night of drinking. Tadama lunged at Rikimaru again, who dodged for a second time. Meanwhile, he could hear Tadao shout for his guards. Rikimaru still wasn't sure what to do, run up to Tadao and stab him or flee. Tadama was between him and Tadao, and he didn't look like he was holding a samurai sword for the first time. "Come on, you filthy bastard. Come on!", Tadama roared. Rikimaru looked to the right and he could see two guards running up to him. Tadao would be impossible to reach now, so he concluded the best thing to do now was to make a run for it.

Rikimary parried another attack from Tadama and kicked him away, but the general only did a step backwards. The ninja ran the opposite direction of the guards, into the corridor. He eventually reached another window, and after looking at where he would land, he jumped outside and landed on the ground. He suddenly remembered all the guards he had seen outside, so he looked around, only to see six more guards coming at him from every direction. Some grabbed an arrow and reached for their bow. He followed the wall of the house until he reached a lower portion of the roof. He jumped up and looked across the scene in front of him. The guards could easily get up there too, so he had to run. But he first had to know where Ayame was. He looked around, and ultimately he saw her. The walkway that connected the buildings was made out of wood and left a small opening between the wood and the ground. She was hiding under the walkway. She saw Rikimaru was looking at her, because she waved her hand quickly, as if to say _go away._ Rikimaru knew she was right. He could reach her, but then the guards would discover her too. And maybe if she stayed behind she could see what Tadao would do next. The guards were at the roof he was on and one shot an arrow. Rikimaru dodged it, jumped over the outside wall and began heading towards the forest. Three guards were close behind. An arrow shot past his ear. Looking back, Rikimaru saw the bowman was in the middle of the three, so he took out a shuriken, turned around and threw it at him. The guard was hit in the eye and fell down. The other two, clearly intimidated by this, stopped. Rikimaru kept running until he was a few miles into the forest, climbed on top of a tree and sat in a branch. Breathing heavily, he closed his eyes. He thought he had never been this exhausted in his whole life.

**Sneak preview of chapter 7:** Rikimaru returns to Lord Godha to report the mission. With this information, Godha starts working on a new plan, and gives Rikimaru instructions for a new mission.


	7. Report to Lord godha

**Note:** Man, I totally forgot about this story. I got stuck at a certain point, put it away for sometime, and never thought of going through with it. Today, I felt the urge to work on it again, so I finished the chapter no problem, and here it is. After a bit of action in the last one, this one takes it easy again. I think this is my weakest chapter so far, dunno why. Anyway, see for yourself and review, thanks! Thanks to Kill Caustic for the reviews so far too.

**Chapter 7: Report to Lord Godha**

Sado was kneeling in the grass, holding up a torch and investigating the ground before him. Not that the torch he was holding was any good. It was still in the middle of the night and his eyesight wasn't as good as it used to be, so it was unlikely he would find any traces of the ninja. He saw a spot of grass which looked like it was trampled, but he had no idea what had trampled it, it could've been an animal for all he knew. The guard got up again and stretched his back. He wondered why he still did this job. Sure, standing guard sometimes while getting paid pretty well wasn't something to complain about, but once something happened, like now, it became clear he wasn't up for it. Sado focused his eyes on the forest in front of him, trying to make something out of the dark blue and black that was the night. Could the ninja still be there? The forest was dense, and if you moved through the plants you most likely made some noise, but with those ninja types you could never know. They could be sitting in a tree, waiting to hurl a shuriken at you. Everyone had heard such stories. He soon realised it was of no use looking at nothing anyway, so he turned to find the others to see if they found anything. While turning, he stopped to look at the Tadao estate. Judging by the sounds, a bypasser would've thought there was some kind of festivity going on. Shouts came from everywhere within the compound, and guards constanly ran in and out.

Sado didn't even had the slightest clue what had happened. He was sleeping because it was his night off, when suddenly Mamoru, head of Tadao's guard force, came in his compartment and yelled something about a ninja being sighted and that he had to be caught immediately. With that, he left again. Sado didn't even know where to begin searching, until he saw some guards running towards the forest, so he figured he should go there too. He wondered if anyone had been killed, besides Nobu that is. While going to the forest, he had seen some men standing around a body on the ground, and he could see the moonlight reflecting on the shuriken. _Poor bastard_, Sado thought when walking back. He wondered if he had been dead immediately. In front of the compound's main entrance stood Mamoru with a few other guards. Sado decided he would first gather up some info. He walked up to him, and as soon as Mamoru saw him, Mamoru turned and shouted:

"Sado, report on your findings please!"

Sado turned to point at the forest. "I checked out the forest's edge, but nothing. As far as I could see anyway..."

"Which isn't a whole lot I recon. Yes Sado, from the first time I saw you I knew you were at the wrong place here. But Tadao hired you so it's his responsibility, not mine."

"Yes well, but I didn't even know who to search for, all I got was..."

"Did it look like I was finished talking Sado?"

Sado looked down and bowed. It was because his status asked for it, he didn't like Mamoru one bit. Sado, and he wasn't the only one, thought Mamoru had it too high in his head. After all, he was just a leader of some local guards, but he acted like he was the first sergeant of some shogun army. Mamoru continued.

"Right, I won't take it all out on you. All the other guards haven't found a thing either. Two aren't back yet, but I don't think they'll surprise us with some news so we might as well call this a day. Right, you asked for some info. To be honest, I know as little as you. Tadao had an appointment with someone. Apparently they had a surprise guest, and not the cook who wanted to check if the sushi tasted good. He got caught, and he escaped. Nobu is the only one killed, then there is one injury. Another guard fell of the stairs racing to get down. He broke his ankle." Mamoru bursted out with laughter. "We don't even need to have the ninja attack anymore to lose someone. What has the world come to? The samurai, they are the real men, not these thirdclass watchers. Anyway, let's report to Tadao shall we, tell him the good news. Sado, you stay here, report when the two other ones get back."

With that, Mamoru left. _What a prick_, Mamory thought. He looked up, where he saw that clouds began to form. If the other ones didn't get back soon, he could wait for them in the rain. _Night of my life._ Sado leaned back against the perimeter wall and wished he was still sleeping cosely in his bed.

Rikimaru opened his eyes and immediately closed them again as the sunrays blinded him. He was sitting on the branch of a thick tree where he had slept overnight. Judging by the position of the sun, it was still in the morning so he hadn't overslept like he had feared. It was a day ago since the infiltration at Tadao's mansion, and he had travelled the whole previous night and day. Ultimately, the azuma ninja was too tired to continue so he had taken a break in a tree. Now that he was awake, he immediately felt he hadn't eaten in 2 days, so he pulled out some rice he had taken with him and began eating. The landscape in front of him was calm and quiet. There had been a rainshower the previous day and part of the night, and now with the sunrise, one could smell the fresh dawn. It always got him in a good mood. He would soon be in the city to report to lord Godha, maybe even by noon if he hurried. Now that he had a brief moment of rest, he thought about the his visit to Tadao. There was no question about it, Tadao was planning to raise an army to confront Godha. He had heard that it wouldn't be soon, but as far as Rikimaru was concerned, that was the only positive thing about the whole mission.

Staring at a small pool of water left behind by the rain, Rikimaru wondered if Ayame had gotten away. She looked safe the last time he saw her, and he knew she was a lot more creative than him. _She's safe. Of course she is. Compared to what we've been through in the past, the previous day was a cakewalk. Besides, lord Godha will certainly know what to do now._ With that thought, Rikimaru got out of his little slumber. He had to get back to the city to report. The ninja jumped down onto the smooth grass and continued his path.

It was a quite warm day, and by the time Rikimaru got to lord Godha, the sun was at his highest. Slightly sweating, he entered the castle and began his climb to the top. When he was half to the top, he was sweating like a pig. _God, is it that warm? Normally I doesn't bother me that much._ Halfway on a staircase, Rikimaru paused to regain his breath. He felt light in the head, and for a second he thought he was going to have a sun stroke. Then he remembered the incident that happened previously - also in Godha's castle - when he came to see him together with Ayame. _Could this be the same?_ Now he was getting really dizzy, so Rikimaru closed his eyes. _Don't faint, don't faint..._ He was beginning to feel a little better. Opening his eyes, he felt the dizzyness fading. But now, his legs felt heavy, making him wonder if he could get up the rest of the stairs.

"Are you alright Rikimaru?"

The Azuma ninja turned around and saw counsel Sekiya standing at the bottom of the stairs looking up to him. Rikimaru shook his head a bit to get rid of the last bit of dizzyness.

"Yes... yes, I'm fine, thank you counsel. The sun bothered me a bit."

"I see. If you want I could have one of the medics..."

"No, don't bother," Rikimaru interrupted. "I'm fine now. Really". To his own surprise, he really was. The hard feeling in his legs had passed, and the whole thing felt like a faint memory, like when you feel better after a bad flu.

"I was on my way to lord Godha", Rikimaru continued.

"Ah yes, of course. Well, you can save your breath. The lord is downstairs, meditating. But he said we could disturb him should any news concerning your mission arrive."

Sekiya suddenly paused, as if he had just noticed something he should've seen earlier.

"Where's Ayame", he asked?

Rikimaru began to descend the stairs.

"It's nothing bad. At least, I hope so. I'll tell you everything when I'm at lord Godha."

When Rikimaru was done telling what happened at Tadao's estate, Godha looked outside.

"So now we know for sure," he said. "We're almost at war."

"Maybe", Rikimaru replied. "If we act quick, we can still counter him before he makes the first strike."

"Ayame is safe I'm sure, so I think it's best now to wait for a sign of her. As for you Rikimaru, I have another mission for you."

Rikimaru bowed. "I would be honored to do it, my lord."

"We know the location of one of Tadao's money machines. At least, that's what I assume he is. His name is Oki. We already knew he's very wealthy, and we also know he's not that fond of me since that business where I shut down his... how shall I call it... house of pleasure in the city. Oki likes to make boat trips, and his current location is his personal boat. You can find it if you follow the river, it's bound to be anchored somewhere along the stream."

"So do I dispose of him?", Rikimaru asked.

"As much as I would like to, first you have to gather evidence of him working with Tadao. If you got that, then you can dispose of him, yes."

Rikimaru bowed again.

"I'll begin my preparations immediately. My lord..." The ninja turned to Sekiya and bowed. "Counsel..."

Rikimaru turned around and left the room. When he was gone, Sekiya turned to lord Godha.

"What do you think of all this my lord?"

Godha looked outside again, over the rooftops. He could see the huge grass field behind the city. Would they come from there if Tadao somehow got prepared?

"I don't know Sekiya. But we'll have to trust in the Azuma ninja. If we do that, I think we'll come a long way."

**Sneak preview of chapter 8:** In the next chapter, we discover what happened with Ayame, and the plans of Tadao continue to unfold. Stay tuned!


End file.
